Federal trial in Seagrave slaying could be delayed

SAN FRANCISCO &GT;&GT; Federal attorneys and Jonathan Antonio Mota, who is accused of killing Kelseyville man Forrest Seagrave, are engaged in a dispute regarding Mota's request to delay an October trial until mid 2015.

Mota, 32, who has chosen to represent himself and be aided by attorney Richard Mazer, filed a motion to continue the Oct. 6 trial during a status conference on June 27. During the meeting, Mazer motioned to withdraw as Mota's standby counsel, stating that commitments with another case would conflict with the trial, according to federal court documents.

According to the documents, Mota's family "strongly opposes" the delay.

Mota requested for the continuance in order to have an "adequate opportunity" to review discovery information, the documents state. He also stated he wanted Mazer to continue as his standby counsel because Mazer knows his case.

The court had granted Mazer's motion to withdraw but later overturned its ruling.

In his motion, Mota claims the federal government has turned over approximately 700 hours of video surveillance, 60,000 pages of documents and 500 audio recordings of different lengths.

If the court determines a continuance is necessary, the earliest available date for trial is in April 2015, according to the documents. Mota and Mazer, however, stated that they would be ready for trial in June 2015.

Mota faces six felony counts, including the murder of Seagrave with a firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, robbery affecting interstate commerce, firearm and ammunition forfeiture and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He is accused of shooting Seagrave and causing his death the night of Jan. 18, 2013 while he robbed the Mt. Konocti 76 Station Store 24 in Kelseyville, where Seagrave worked for six years.

The case became a federal matter after it was referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco in February of 2013. The U.S. Attorney's Office conducted an investigation in collaboration with the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. As a result of the investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office federally indicted Mota in June 2013 on charges stemming from the alleged murder and other weapons charges.